(A/N):
Drop a meme here that you find funny. Or reflects your mood.
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Ashvale Village...
By the time the Magic Knights arrived, the entire hill was surrounded by villagers.
Fear hung in the air.
At the center stood the ancient ruin, its stone towers partially unearthed, glowing faintly under the evening sky.
And around it—The barrier.
A shimmering dome of crimson mana that pulsed steadily, separating the villagers from the ruin.
Standing before it now were the young Magic Knights chosen for the dungeon expedition.
Among them:
Asta
Yuno
Noelle Silva
Leopold Vermillion
Luck Voltia
Magna Swing
Nebra Silva
Solid Silva
And several other promising young Magic Knights from different squads.
Behind them stood the supervising captains—Yami Sukehiro and Fuegoleon Vermillion.
They would remain outside.
If something went wrong—They would intervene.
But this dungeon was meant to test the younger generation.
Yami exhaled smoke lazily.
-Puff
"Alright, brats," he said. "Show us what you've got."
Fuegoleon crossed his arms calmly.
"Remember your objective," he added. "Rescue the child first. Exploration second."
The villagers watched anxiously as the Magic Knights approached the barrier.
Asta stepped forward.
"Well… guess that means me first!"
He pulled the massive anti-magic sword from his grimoire.
The blade hummed with dark energy.
Asta raised it—And swung.
The blade struck the barrier.
-THUD. -CreAkkk!!!
For a moment—Nothing happened.
Then—The crimson dome split.
Like paper being cut by a knife.
A long tear opened across its surface as the anti-magic erased the spell structure holding it together.
The barrier trembled.
Cracks spread.
And within seconds—The opening widened enough for the knights to enter.
Magna whistled looking at the scene.
-Whislte!
"Man… anti-magic really is cheating."
Luck grinned excitedly.
-Grin
"Ooooh! A dungeon! I wonder what kind of enemies are inside!"
Noelle tightened her grip on her grimoire.
Yuno simply looked toward the dark entrance.
Leopold's flames flickered with determination.
Behind them, Yami smirked slightly.
-Smirk
"Go on."
Fuegoleon nodded once.
-Nod
"Begin the mission."
One by one—The young Magic Knights stepped through the broken barrier. And into the ancient ruin.
One by one, the young Magic Knights stepped through the torn barrier.
The moment the last of them crossed the threshold—The world changed.
The sky above them dimmed instantly.
It wasn't evening. It wasn't night. It was something unnatural in between.
A dim, gray ceiling of mana clouds stretched over the dungeon grounds, cutting off the real sky outside the barrier.
No sunlight. No wind.
Just a silent, enclosed world.
"...."
"...."
"...."
Magna whistled softly looking around.
-Whistle!
"Creepy."
Luck grinned like a child in a candy shop.
-Grin
"This is awesome."
The terrain around them was vast—broken stone paths, collapsed columns, and towering ancient structures scattered across a wide courtyard.
At the center of the area stood a massive stone building, tall like a fortress, its entrance sealed by enormous doors covered in faded runes.
But there was no obvious way inside.
They walked around the courtyard cautiously for several minutes.
Checking walls. Testing magic. Searching for traps.
Nothing happened.
Noelle frowned seeing they were still couldn't find the entrance.
-Frown
"There has to be an entrance mechanism."
Yuno studied the ground quietly.
Asta scratched his head.
-Scratch -Scratch
"Maybe we just break the door?"
Solid scoffed hearing Asta's words.
"Try using your brain for once."
Magna kicked a rock across the courtyard.
"Man, these ancient ruins really like puzzles."
Meanwhile—
Leopold had wandered slightly away from the group, wiping sweat from his forehead.
"Give me a second," he muttered, sitting down on a large stone tile.
The moment his weight pressed down—
Click.
Leopold blinked caught off guard.
"…Uh?"
The tile beneath him sank slightly into the ground.
The entire courtyard trembled.
Stone mechanisms deep beneath the dungeon awakened with a grinding roar.
Everyone froze.
"...."
"...."
"...."
Asta pointed at the dungeon.
"What did you do?!"
Leopold jumped up.
"I didn't do anything!"
Then—
The massive doors of the central structure shuddered.
Dust fell from the ancient carvings.
With a thunderous groan—The stone doors slowly split apart.
A dark passageway opened within.
Luck laughed excitedly.
-Haha
"He found the switch!"
Magna slapped Leopold on the back.
"Nice accidental discovery!"
Leopold puffed up proudly.
"Of course! A true Vermillion always finds the path forward!"
Noelle sighed hearing the proud Leopold.
-Sigh
"...."
Yuno simply began walking toward the open doorway.
Asta followed immediately.
"Alright! Let's go rescue that kid!"
Behind them, the ancient doors finished opening completely.
The young Magic Knights stepped through the enormous doorway.
The moment they crossed the threshold—
-Fwoom.
Flames ignited.
One after another, the fire lamps along the walls burst to life on their own, casting flickering orange light through the long stone corridor.
Magna blinked looking around the interior.
-Blink -Blink
"Well… that's not creepy at all."
The hallway stretched deep into the ruin, ancient stone polished smooth with age.
Statues lined both sides. Dozens of them.
Winged figures carved from pale stone.
But something was wrong. Their heads were gone.
Every statue had its neck cleanly severed.
Noelle slowed slightly.
"Why would someone remove all the heads…?"
Yuno's eyes scanned the corridor carefully.
"…Symbolic destruction," he said quietly.
Luck grinned while giving his opinion.
-Grin
"Or maybe they just like chopping things."
Asta walked forward confidently.
"Whatever! Let's just keep going!"
The group moved deeper.
Then—A sound echoed through the hallway.
Soft. Light. A baby's giggle.
Hee… hee…
Everyone stopped hearing it.
"...."
"...."
"...."
Magna frowned hearing the giggle.
-Frown
"Tell me I'm not the only one who heard that."
Leopold looked around cautiously.
"…Yeah. I heard it too."
The sound echoed again.
Hee… hee…
Like a child amused by something.
But there were no children here.
Asta stepped forward again—His foot about to land on the next tile.
-Click!
"...."
Suddenly—Leopold grabbed the back of his cloak and yanked him backward.
"WAIT!"
The moment Asta's foot left the tile—
-Click!
Hidden mechanisms triggered.
From the statues along the walls—Magic circles flared.
-WHOOSH!
A volley of flaming magic arrows shot across the corridor, slicing through the space where Asta had been standing a split second earlier.
They slammed into the opposite wall in a blazing barrage.
Silence followed.
"...."
"...."
"...."
Asta blinked caught off guard.
"…Uh."
Leopold released his cloak slowly.
"Watch where you step."
Magna wiped sweat from his forehead.
"Okay yeah… this dungeon definitely wants us dead."
Luck looked even more excited.
"Now this is fun!"
Yuno crouched slightly, examining the floor.
"Pressure traps," he said calmly. "The corridor is full of them."
The baby's laughter echoed again.
Hee… hee…
Somewhere deeper inside the ruin.
The young Magic Knights moved slowly down the corridor now.
Every step mattered.
Yuno walked slightly ahead, eyes scanning the ground.
Noelle kept her grimoire open.
Magna and Luck watched the statues carefully. The traps kept coming.
A loose tile triggered spinning blades from the walls.
Magna ducked just in time.
"HEY! Watch it!"
Another step activated falling stone spears from the ceiling.
Luck laughed while dodging sideways.
"This dungeon really likes games!"
Asta nearly triggered another trap before Noelle grabbed his sleeve.
"STOP rushing!"
He scratched his head sheepishly.
"Right… traps."
Leopold burned a hidden rune circle before it could activate.
Solid and Nebra stayed behind the group, watching for rear triggers.
Step by step—The corridor finally opened.
Ahead of them lay a wide circular chamber.
The room looked abandoned. Dust covered the floor.
Broken pillars leaned against the walls.
No traps. No statues. Just an open arena-like space.
Magna frowned looking around.
-Frown
"…That's suspicious."
Luck tilted his head.
"Too empty."
But the group stepped inside anyway.
One. Two. Three.
Soon every Magic Knight stood inside the arena.
Then—
BOOM.
A shimmering barrier exploded upward around the chamber.
The corridor behind them sealed instantly.
A massive iron gate slammed down, cutting off their escape route.
Asta spun around.
"HEY!"
The ground beneath their feet trembled.
Stone mechanisms groaned deep below.
The entire arena floor descended several feet downward, lowering like a stage being prepared.
Dust fell from the ceiling. The air thickened.
Noelle's eyes narrowed.
"...."
"…This is a combat arena."
The baby's laughter echoed again.
Hee… hee…
But this time—
The sound came from above them. Everyone looked up.
High above the arena walls—Dark balconies circled the chamber.
And in the shadows—Something moved.
Luck grinned widely.
-Grin
"Oh good."
His mana crackled with excitement.
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(Author's POV)
(A/N)Thanks for reading the chapter!
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